Thursday, April 30, 2009

The memories of viewers of bollywood films are very short. Any star who was a sensation one year back the moment any film flops lost all his or her stardom within one year itself. Till 2007, Rani Mukherjee was the number one star of bollywood. From the time Abhishek Bacchan married Aishwarya Rai, all the films of Rani Mukherjee started bouncing back in box-office.

Last year Aishwarya Rai was at the top of the world with the success of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s film Jodha Akbar. But by the time viewers will see her in the role of Sita in Mani Ratnam’s next film, the scenario of bollywood film will undergo a big transformation. Firstly Katrina Kaif had replaced Ash as brand ambassador of many companies. Although both the actresses are beauty-queens, Katrina is much younger than Ash and for those reasons Ash is facing tough competition at every level.

Besides when Katrina had given hits after hits in the last three years including Partner opposite Salman Khan and Govinda, Race opposite Akshay Khanna, Namaste London opposite Akshay Kumar, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya opposite Salman Khan, Singh is Kinng opposite Akshay Kumar, to name a few, Ash had signed in very less number of bollywood films. Although she was busy with Hollywood films like Pink Panther, she could not have afforded to restrict her number of films as in bollywood history when a star lost stardom in the mid-30s very rarely they regained it back.

The other factor which has gone against Ash in the last few years was her inclination to act only opposite Abhishek Bacchan. If her hit films from the late 90s can be examined viewers admit that her hit films were opposite Salman Khan (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam), Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar (Taal), Hrithik Roshan (Dhoom 2), to name a few. Although her films with Abhishek Bacchan like Guru did good business, they were not enough to maintain her stardom.

Also the committed fans of Ash these days wonder whether she is at all there in the rat race. So her films started losing significance in the recent years. Unless her films create magic in 2009, viewers and critics will consider the era of Ash has gone. She was number one in the past, and presently she lives her colourful memories of past.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Sushmita Sen was considered as one of the most glamourous actresses of bollywood films in the 90s along with Aishwarya Rai. As both of them got international recognition with their success in the fashion industry producers and directors used their glamour in films made during the contemporary period. But with increase of age and domination of new actresses like Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Kareena Kapoor, the charm that was created by Sushmita Sen is fading away gradually.

In Bibi No. 1, her stylish performance opposite Salman Khan contributed for the success of the film. She proved herself to be a successful girlfriend but failed to fulfil any of the responsibilities of a wife. Salman Khan returned back to his wife Karishma Kapoor after realizing about the incapability of Sushmita Sen. Although apparently Sushmita’s role appeared to be negative but her presentation of the character with the stylish andaz attracted the film audience. The lips in the songs “ishq sona hai” and “chunari chunari”, was very impressive.

In the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, she almost superseded Katrina Kaif, in her role opposite Salman Khan. Where the viewers saw that Salman Khan was inclined to marry Katrina, who was a model in the film at the cost of Sushmita Sen, who was his personal secretary, at the end of the film the sacrifices of Sushmita Sen brought her the maximum sympathy from the audience. Her lips in the song “laga laga laga re” were very impressive. The striking factor in the film was that all her emotions were expressed through comedy sequences.

Sushmita Sen was also impressive in the film Tumko Na Bhool Payenge opposite Salman Khan. Although she was associated with Salman Khan only in one part of the film while the major portion was there with Diya Mirza, her performance was probably more aggressive than Diya Mirza. Her lips in the song “are re re yeh kya hua re” were very impressive. She was sublime in the film Zor opposite Sunny Deol and Mai Hoon Na opposite Shahrukh Khan.

Sushmita Sen is also known for her bold performances in the industry. She accepted the role in the film Chingari, which many actresses of her age would not have accepted. She also was sublime inn Sunil Shetty’s film Aghaaz.

Sushmita has a long way to go. Viewers are very anxious to see her performance in the role of Benazir Bhutto, the film which is facing hurdles relating to production. The biggest challenge is in respect of bringing her lost stardom which she enjoyed back in the 90s.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The viewers of bollywood films mourn the death anniversary of Shankar, the legendary composer on 26th April, 2009, whose combination with Jaikishan had created musical masterpieces during the 40s, 50s and 60s. The combination started working together in Raj Kapoor’s film Barsaat in 1949, and after that they never looked back. They created trends, broke the conventional style of music, experimented in every level of music, gave music in the films of all the leading actors and actresses of 50s and 60s.

As the name of Shankar Jaikishan was always used together due to their dominance in bollywood music in the 50s and 60s, individually their individual capabilities were not discussed in details. Music historians had reiterated after the death of the magical duo that Shankar had contributed the most in the classical songs while Jaikishan was more instrumental in the westernized tunes and orchestrations. Further Shankar’s most of the compositions were associated with lyricist Shailendra and Jaikishan’s creations were mostly associated with Shankar.

Some of the unforgettable classical tunes of SJ include “sur na saje kya gayun mai” sung by Manna Dey in the film Basant Bahar picturised on Bharat Bhushan, “ajahu na aye balma” sung by Rafi in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera picturised on Mehmood, “aji ruth kar ab kahan jayiega” sung by Lata and Rafi in the film Aarzoo picturised on Sadhna and Rajender Kumar, “o mere shahe khuba” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Love In Tokyo, picturised on Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna, etc.

Besides a huge number of compositions of SJ included folk songs involving the smell of the soil from where they had originated. Those songs included “ramaiya vasta maiya” in the film Shree 420, sung by Rafi, Lata and Mukesh picturised on Raj Kapoor and Nargis, “chalat musafir” in the film Teesri Kasam, sung by Manna Dey picturised on Raj Kapoor, “aa ab laut chale” sung by Mukesh, Lata and picturised on Raj Kapoor and Padmini, etc.

Music lovers lament the death of Shankar and the disintegration of the SJ team in the 60s, because they had contributed in the films of Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Dharmender, Jeetender, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, etc., which includes almost the entire industry. So viewers of different tastes enjoyed the composition of SJ in those films. It is very sad that during the last 15 years, the media had underrated SJ and tried to project RD Burman as the greatest phenomenon of the century. He was a definitely a brilliant composer but his contribution cannot be equated with the dynamic composition of SJ. Shankar’s contributions should be preserved and restored.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Feroz Khan, the style icon of bollywood films passed yesterday at the age of 70 years. Born in 1939, Feroz Khan started his career with the film Didi in 1960. He had inclination towards action films and during the romantic age struggled to face the competition of Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and others. With Unche Log in the mid-60s he created an image for himself. His performance opposite Rajender Kumar in the film Aarzoo in the mid-60s impressed the viewers.

He got good music in the films Ek Sapera Ek Lootera, with Rafi’s songs “hum tumse juda hoke” becoming super hit. Even Rafi’s other songs for Firoz Khan like “jag dil-e- dewaana” became super hit in the late 60s. He did well in the films CID 909 opposite Mumtaz and Raat Aur Din with Nargis and Pradeep Kumar. He also acted in romantic roles in films like Safar opposite Rajesh Khanna and Aadmi Aur Insaan opposite Dharmender. He received the filmfare award for the best supporting actor in the film Aadmi Aur Insaan.

The 70s marked the beginning of style icon Feroz Khan as his action thrillers had the glimpses of Hollywood actors like Zango, Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas and others. His films one after the other created storms in bollywood films during an age when Big B, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughun Sinha dominated action films. Firoz Khan’s leading films during that period include Apradh, Khote Sikke, Kala Sona, Dharmatma, to name a few.

From Dharmatma onwards Feroz Khan played a new innings by entering into production and direction. His films made later on had his special touch including shooting in the Middle East, entertaining music of Kalyanji Anandji, innovative action sequences , etc. Firoz Khan also launched new actors with him from that time. In Qurbani, Vinod Khanna played a leading role with him, in Jaanbaaz Anil Kapoor played a leading role with him and in Yalgaar, Sanjay Dutt played a leading role with him.

In respect of actress although Mumtaz acted in major films of Feroz Khan in the 60s and 70s, Firoz Khan acted with new actresses like Zeenat Aman in Qurbani, Sri Devi in Jaanbaaz, Manisha Koirala in Yalgaar, etc. He was also called the Indian Cowboy as he experimented with different types of hats and showed his skills in horse riding in different films.

He had good combination with Prem Chopra who played the role of anti-hero in many of his films and Jagdeep who contributed a lot as relief characters in his films. His last film was Welcome with Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif before cancer ended his journey. He remained the uncrowned mnarch of stylish films and for those reasons his films should be preserved.

Sonu Nigam is considered to be the most versatile singers of the present period. In the last 10 years he had sung in the films of almost all the leading stars including Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan. He had sung songs composed by most of the dynamic composers of the country including AR Rehman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Anu Malik, Vishal Shekhar, Sajid Wajid, etc. But his voice matches the most with Salman Khan.

In the film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, all the songs sung by Sonu Nigam for Salman Khan like “jeene ke hai char din” or “mujhse shaadi karogi”, became super hit. The songs were composed by Sajid Wajid and the lips of Priyanka Chopra added flavor in Salman Khan’s super hit film which was mostly picturised in the sandy locations of Goa. The songs of the film Yuvvraaj, composed by AR Rehman, last year like "shano shano" sung by Sonu Nigam and picturised on Salman Khan also was appreciated by the viewers.

Even the songs in the film Partner composed by Sajid Wajid like "maria maria" or "do you want a partner" became bumper hits. The film became super hit and the combination of Salman Khan and Lara Dutta was liked by the viewers as they have liked both Govinda and Katrina Kaif in the film.

Sonu Nigam and Salman Khan combination stormed bollywood in the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. The songs were composed by Himesh Reshamiya, and Sonu Nigam’s song “just chill chill” became super hit. The lips of Sohail Khan and Katrina Kaif were as impressive as Salman Khan in the song. The other songs in the film were equally successful. Sonu Nigam Salman Khan combination stormed bollywood films in the film No Entry. Especially the title song “no no no no no no no no, no entry” piscturised on Salman Khan and Bipasha Basu became super hit. The music was composed by Anu Malik.

Sajid Wajid combined with Salman Khan and Sonu Nigam to provide hit songs in the film Heroes. The song “tera mera pyar baliye” having Punjabi andaz became very successful in the patriotic. Besides the same combination had given successful songs in the film God Tussi Great Ho. Whichever song was sung by Sonu Nigam for Salman Khan became very successful.

Previously Salman Khan’s songs in the film Tumko Bhula Na Payenge became super hit. The successful songs of Sonu Nigam included “tumko bhula na payega”, “are are yeh kya hua re”. Diya Mirza and Sushmita Sen complimented Salman Khan in the film and all the songs and the film did very good business. Even the songs of the combination in the film Janemaan, including “jane ke jane na”, “tumko maloom hai” etc., became super hit.

Sonu Nigam and Salman Khan had become a formidable combination over the years and the viewers feel that the composers and lyricists should use the combination as much as possible in films in future.

Dev Anand, the stylish actor of the 50s and 60s was generally associated with towering composer SD Burman as he was preferred under the Navketan banner and contributed in most of Dev’s films from 40s to 60s. The team of Dev Anand comprising of SD Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Lata, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Kishore, Hemant Kumar, Talat Mehmood, was different from the team of Dilip Kumar, Naushad, Shakeel Badayani, Rafi, or the team of Raj Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishan, Manna Dey, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Mukesh, etc.

But when producers and directors approached Shankar Jaikishan for composing music in Dev Anand’s films, they did not follow the existing trend. Shankar Jaikishan either broke the existing trends of music or created a new trend which was followed by the following generations. In the film Patita, in the 50s, songs were sung by mainly Hemant Kumar and Lata. But the combination of SJ and Dev Anand stormed bollywood from the time he used Rafi for almost all the songs in the film Love Marriage in 1959.

Love Marriage became super hit, with Dev Anand and Mala Sinha and the songs became everlasting hits. Rafi’s songs included “kahan ja rahe the”, “dheere dheere chal”, etc. The songs were mostly picturised in the studios but had great appeal. The combination of Rafi, SJ and Dev Anand created storms in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.

Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai was a musical film with Asha Parekh and all the songs became super hit in the early 60s. Some of them included “jiya ho, jiya ho jiya kuch bol do”, “sau saal pehele hume tumse pyar tha”, “yeh aankhe uff yummma”, “teri zulfonki”, to name a few. The success of the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai was followed up in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film Asli Nakli.

In Asli Nakli, Sadhna acted opposite Dev Anand, and all the songs were super hit again. Rafi and Lata’s songs included “tera mera pyara amar”, “tujhe jeevan ki dor se bandh liya hai”, “ek budh banayunga”, “asli nakli chehera”, etc. Some songs were picturised on the Bengali actress Sandhya Roy who played the role of the sister of Dev Anand in the film.

In the late 60s Dev Anand’s popularity decreased with rise of new stars like Shammi Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Joy Mukherjee, Manoj Kumar, etc., so the films like Pyar Mohabbat or Duriyan did moderate business if compared with the hits of the early 60s. So Rafi and SJ’s combination with Dev Anand could not get recognition to that extent. Even then the songs in the film Pyar Mohabbat, like “dil ki awaaz khuda khair Karen”, “pyar muhobbat” and duet songs with Sharda like “sun sun, sun re balam, dil tujhko pukare” were hits.

Music lovers across the country feel that had Shankar Jaikishan not been busy with Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Rajender Kumar in the 50s and 60s, the golden combination of Rafi, SJ and Dev Anand could have given many more number of melodious hits. The songs and the films should be preserved.

Friday, April 24, 2009

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to actress Moushumi Chatterji on 26th April, 2009. She started her career in films by playing an important character in Bengali film Parineeta. With her she attracted the attention of leading producers and directors of Bengali films including Ajoy Kar and Tarun Majumdar. She acted in a number of Bengali films and then went to Bombay.

In bollywood she played notable roles during the period when the directors like Basu Chatterji, Basu Bhattacharya were involved in making realistic films. Her film Manzil Manzil opposite Big B, became successful, as the film was based on the realistic story titled Akash Kusum which was the Bengali film directed by Mrinal Sen. Her performance in the film Benam, opposite Big B was also outstanding. It was a suspense thriller where Big B’s son was kidnapped and Moushumi expressed the anxiety very well in the film.

In the 70s, Moushumi’s performance in the film Anuraag, opposite Vinod Mehra was worth mentioning. She played the role of a blind girl and did very well in the role. The music in the film composed by SD Burman was also very successful including Rafi’s song “who kya hai”. Mushumi did well also in the action films of that period including the film Goutam Govinda, where Shashi Kapoor and Shatrughun Sinha were brothers and helped the villagers against the oppression of Premnath in the film.

In the early 80s, Moushumi’s performance in superstar Uttam Kumar’s film Ogo Bodhu Sundari gave a special place for her in Bengali films. The film was the last film of Uttam Kumar as he died on 24th July, 1980. The story was based on the epic literature of George Bernard Shaw titled Pygmalion. Uttam Kumat brought Moushumi in his house to teach her. She was totally uneducated and learned culture, education and living style in a modern society from Uttam Kumar. The music of Bappi Lahiri in the film was equally successful.

In the 90s, Moushumi did extremely well in character roles. She was sublime in Sunny Deol’s film Ghayal, where she played the role of the sister- in-law of Sunny. A scandal was publicized against her and she committed suicide in the film.

She also contested MP elections from Kolkata from the Congress (I) ticket in 2004. Viewers agree that there is lot of acting left in Moushumi and they want her to continue the brilliant work both in bollywood films and Bengali films.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Asitboron was the most enterprising hero of Bengali films before Uttam Kumar ruled the industry. He had various qualities like singing, playing the table, etc. He created a permanent position of prestige in the minds of producers and directors with his devotional performance in the film Joydev.

At that time Robin Mojumdar was the main hero of Bengali films. As Robin Mojumdar was both a singer and an actor the producers used his talent to perfection in the films like Bhangagara, Jogajog, Kobi, etc. But Asitboron was smart, handsome and in urbanized roles became the automatic choice of the modern directors. His film Kar Pape stormed Bengali industry in the early 50s. The film was made with a bold subject of Asitboron being infected with syphilis and the contagious disease was spread his wife Manju Dey. Chabi Biswas, the doctor in the film warned Asit Boron not to marry any one before the disease was fully cured. He did not listen to him and the disease spread to Manju Dey. At the end of the film Manju Dey fired Asitboron when he went to marry another girl. The powerful performance of Chabi Biswas and Manju Dey stands out as one of their most dynamic performances of any performer in Bengali films.

Asitboron was sublime in the role of Mathur, in the film Rani Rashmoni. He was the son-in-law of Malina Debi, and educated during Colonial period. His western thoughts did not allow him to believe that Sri Ramkrishna was an avatar. But he was convinced by Malina Debi at the end of the film. Asitboron did extremely well in the role of Munsef in Uttam Kumar’s film Khokababur Protyaborton. It was based on the epic literature of Tagore, and Asitboron expressed the relationship of a master with his servant to perfection during the relevant period.

Asitboron played the role of famous kabiyal Bhora Moira, in Uttam Kumar’s film Antony Firingi. He contested against him in the musical competition where Antony Firingi defeated him. His performance in Tapan Sinha’s film Harmonium also requires special mention. He played the role of a Zaminder whose harmonium was sold in auction by his daughter Arundhuti Debi, and after the harmonium changed different hands it was resold back to Arundhuti Debi, at the of the film.

His other famous films include Bondhu opposite Mala Sinha, Brotocharini, Badhu, Shilpi, Sriti Tuku Thak opposite Suchitra Sen, to name a few. He had a number of basic discs in his own voice, too. He had acted in more than 100 films in a span of 30 years. It is really sad that he died unwept, unsung, unlamented and unrecognized. The viewers forgot his contribution in Bengali films during the pre-Uttam Kumar period when his effortless performance attracted the urbanized youth of the early 50s. His films should be restored and preserved.

My father Ex. Chief Public Prosecutor, Bankshall Court, North, met Asitboron near Glass House in Paikpara (North Kolkata) in the early 50s, when he used to come for playing tennis with actress Manju Dey, and fishing activities in a lake where the modern Metro Rail is situated near Dum Dum Station. Asitboron disclosed to my father that Uttam Kumar once told Asitboron that kaloda (that was his nickname), can you lend me your walking style. Later Uttam Kumar developed his own walking style which was imitated by many heroes of contemporary period.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Shankar Jaikishan had always been known to set trends and not follow any existing system created by the other compositions. SJ used Lata to her limit in Barsaat in the late 40s, during a time when the other female singers like Noorjahan, Suraiya, Samshad Begum, Rajkumari were also prominent in singing playback songs in bollywood films. SJ never stuck one single team and that was one of their secrets of success in bollywood films.

In respect of Mehmood, it was a tradition for most of the composers to use Manna Dey to sing for Mehmood, most of which were very very successful. SD Burman used Manna Dey to sing “duniya bananewale” in the film Ziddi for Mehmood, where he used Rafi to sing the songs for Joy Mukherjee like “bolo bolo, aye dildaar”, etc. RD Burman used Manna Dey to sing the songs “sawaariya” and “ek chaturnaar” in the film Padosan for Mehmood. LP used Manna Dey to sing “o mere maina” in the film Pyar Kiye Ja, for Mehmood. There are numerous other examples where Manna Dey was used by the composers to suit Mehmood.

Shankar Jaikishan had something else in mind. He used Manna Dey in very serious classical songs like “sur na saje” in Basant Bahar, emotional songs like “tu pyar ka sagar hai” in Seema, or folk songs like “chalet musafir” in Teesri Kasam. When it came to Mehmood, SJ experimented with Rafi, and those songs probably are considered the most successful songs of Mehmood in his entire career.

The song “ajahu na aye balma sawan bita jai” in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera, picturized on Mehmood, stands out as one of the most classically oriented compositions of SJ for Rafi. The song had both appeal for the mass and also the class. The song “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” in Gumnaam, became a trademark song of Mehmood. Rafi almost reproduced the style of dialogue throwing of Mehmood in the song and it appeared to the masses that the song was sung by Mehmood himself.

SJ used Rafi to sing the song “mai rickshawala” in the black and white era in the film Choti Bahen, during a time when Mehmood’s image was not created. Mehmood almost made people cry in the film and the credit goes to Rafi’s emotions in the song. In the film Zindagi, Rafi’s song for Mehmood titled “ghungharwah mora cham cham baje”, became big hit.

The other hit songs of Rafi for Mehmood composed by SJ include “o gori chalona hans ki chaal”, “zindagi mujhko dikhade raasta”, “mai hoon jaani tera”etc. Rafi’s presence was felt in the films Beti Bete, Bhai Bhai, etc. where Mehmood had prominent roles and SJ composed the music of those films. Even the song “bakhma bakhma” in the film Shatranj became successful.

Even in the duets that were sung for Mehmood, SJ created a new trend in allowing Suman Kalyanpur t sing some of the songs with Rafi or Sharda to sing some of them, in addition to Lata who had sung around 440 duets with Rafi during the golden age.

The songs and the films of the legendary combination of Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi and Mehmood should be restored for their filmic appeal and versatile creations.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Till last year the viewers of bollywood films thought Akshay Kumar’s sheer brilliance had helped the films to be super hits. He had given highest income tax in the last few years. His hit films more than Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan made him uncrowned monarch of bollywood films.

But after the failure of both of the films released this year, including Chandni Chowk to China and 8*10 Tasveer, the viewers had realized that it was the charishma of Katrina Kaif more than Akshay Kumar which pulled his films. In the films released this year, Deepika Padukone and Ayesha Takia acted opposite Akshay Kumar. Their box-office popularity was not same as Katrina Kaif and that had made a huge difference.

In the last 5 years most the successful films of Akshay Kumar had Katrina Kaif in them. The combination entertained the viewers in the film Humko Dewaane Kar Gaye, and amazed them in the film Namaste London. Katrina played the role of an Indian girl who was born and brought up in London. She was the daughter of Rishi Kapoor who married her to Akshay Kumar, an Indian staying in a village of Punjab. The marriage was solemnized in India but after Katrina reached London she disregarded the marriage. Akshay convinced her throughout the film and ultimately she agreed to return to India with Akshay Kumar. The story was unique and the performances of all the actors were extraordinary.

The films Welcome and Singh is Kinng, also became super hit. The songs of those films including “welcome”, “inshah allah”, “teri ore teri ore” became as popular as the films. Akshay Kumar overtook Shahrukh Khan to become the most popular actor of 2008. But what the viewers had not realized that Katrina Kaif was the main factor behind the success of the films.

During the last few years all the films of Katrina Kaif excepting Yuvvraaj ended up being blockbusters. The films Race, Partner, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, all were super hit. Whether Salman Khan or Govinda or Akshay Khanna acted opposite Katrina Kaif it did not make any difference. Whether the films were suspense thrillers or comedy films it did not matter. What mattered was the screen presence of Katrina Kaif.

Akshay Kumar will again act with Katrina in the film De Dana Dan this year. The viewers know these days that Katrina Kaif is the readymade answer for sheer success in bollywood films. Akshay Kumar has a tough test in films where Katrina Kaif is not going to act opposite him.

Monday, April 20, 2009

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni on 20th April, 2009. She played very significant roles in the films of 90s. She was given prominent roles in successful bollywood films during that period.

Rakesh Roshan gave a significant role to Mamta Kulkarni in the film Karan Arjun. She was the wife of Salman Khan in the film. Both Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan were shown to have to lives. In their first lives they were tortured and killed by Amrish Puri. In their second life they were born at other places but came to Rajasthan to stop the illegal activities of Amrish Puri and his men. Mamta Kulkarni and Kajol contributed with their respective roles along with Rakhee, who had the prominent part in the film.

Mamta Kulkarni got the role of her lifetime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film China Gate. She was the relative of Om Puri who called him up to rescue the villagers from the rule of dacoits in the region. Om Puri was a retired major, who left the armed forces after one their missions failed. Om Puri called all his friends who worked in the last mission, including Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Danny, Tinu Anand, Jagdeep , etc., and formed a team to combat the dacoits. Mamta Kulkarni kept the retired military in her house and provided them food and amenities during their stay. The film was off-beat in nature and Mamta Kulkarni showed her acting skills in the film.

Her other successful films also included Krantiveer, where she acted opposite Atul Agnihotri. Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia had the main roles in the action film, but Mamta Kulkarni showed her frustration after she came to know about her father being involved in the gang of lawbreakers who were responsible for riots and other destructive activities.

After the late-90s all of sudden Mamta Kulkarni left bollywood films. Viewer remember her both in glamourous and non-glamourous roles. They expect her to make a comeback in recent bollywood films and entertain the viewers once again just like the way she entertained the viewers in the films of the 90s.

Premendo Mitra, the renowned writer of Bengali literature contributed a lot as director of innovative films also in the mid-50s. His successful films included Hanabari, Chupi Chupi Ashe and others. In Chupi Chupi Ashe he maintained the suspense all along the film just way Alfred Hitchcock used to maintain in the suspense thrillers of the 50s.

In Chupi Chupi Ashe, Robin Mojumdar and Tapati were shown as the owners of a hotel in a place sme distance away from Kolkata. The hotel was known as fooding and lodging centre and tourists used to take shelter in the hotel. On one of the days a number of persons occupied the different rooms in the hotel. It included a sick person played by Chabi Biswas, Jahar Ganguly, Prabir Kumar, a school teacher and others.

All of a sudden, heavy rain led to flood, and the hotel got cut off from the rest of the city. Tarun Kumar (the brother of superstar Uttam Kumar) entered the hotel as an inspector and told the story of a young man being tortured in school, the orphanage and other places and took revenge recently by killing one of the administrators of the school where he studied. He told everyone that he had been sent by the local police station for security of the residents of the hotel. He also informed them that no one should try to leave the hotel before the flood water subsided and there was sever power cut in the place.

The tourists in the hotel got scared after they knew that there was neither electric connection nor telephone connection, which could help them for communication purposes. On one of the nights, the lady teacher who taught school children got murdered. A musical tape was heard by all the persons but the murdered could not be identified. At that moment, Chabi Biswas, the detective in disguise, with his assistant went and arrested the killer Tarun Kumar before who tried to kill Tapati and related persons in the hotel.

Chabi Biswas briefed the persons, that Tarun Kumar was the person who was tortured by the school teacher and other members of the orphanage when he was young and for those reasons he killed the wrongdoers one after the other. Tarun Kumar disguised himself as an inspector so that no one could suspect him.

The film was off-beat in nature with only one song sung by Sandhya Mukherjee titled “se je chupi chupi asche” which was the title of the film. Due to the powerful direction of Premendra Mitra and innovative acting of Chabi Biswas, Jahar Ganguly, Tarun Kumar, Robin Majumdar, the film caught the attention of the viewers and became successful in the late 50s. The film should be restored and preserved.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Arshad Warsi on 19th April, 2009. During the last few years he had featured in one successful bollywood film out of every four films released during that period.

His greatest recognition came in the role of circuit in the film Munnabhai MBBS and Lageraho Munnabhai. In both of these films he had played the role of the assistant of Sanjay Dutt and used his gundas to evict tenants and other persons when they were paid for doing so. Both the films were serio-comic in nature and in that respect Arshad Warsi’s comedy conception entertained the viewers.

In Munnabhai MBBS he used his muscle power to help Sanjay Dutt for giving exam on medical science and also for treating patients. In Lageraho Munnabhai, he compelled the academicians to give answers to Vidya Balan on questions related to Mahatma Gandhi on behalf of Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt knew nothing about the questions but due to the help of the academicians proved before Vidya Balan that he was a learned Professor. Arshad Warsi’s lips in the songs “lage raho munnabhai”, and “munnabhai mbbs” in both these films require special mention.

Arshad Warsi had been great asset to the bollywood industry for his comedy skills especially due to the fact that in the last few years the only type of films which did steady business includes comedy films. His performance in the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, with Sanjay Dutt and Isha Koppikar requires special mention. While Sanjay Dutt was an orthopedic surgeon in the film Arshad Warsi was an actor. He made an excellent submission in an artificial courtroom where the divorce of Salman Khan with Sushmita Sen was organized to impress Katrina Kaif. His comparison of Salman’s relationship with Sushmita Sen with a car whose break had failed and which dashed with every object on the road made everyone laugh. His lips in the song “saajan” along with Isha Koppikar, was equally impressive.

Similarly he had done a great job in the film Salaam Namaste with Saif Ali Khan in the role of a lawyer. Whenever Saif Ali Khan required legal assistance during fight against Preeti Zinta he took the help of Arshad Warsi and he gave a witty answer. His performance in the film Dhamaal was equally brilliant. He was one of the four friends including Ritesh Deshmukh, Javed Jaffery and other who went to Goa to get treasure. They were stopped at every point by Sanjay Dutt, the police officer who also went to Goa for the treasure. At the end of the film the money had to be given for the cause of orphan children.

Arshad Warsi was sublime in many films including Golmaal and Golmaal Returns and viewers expect the ever-smiling talented actor to continue his brilliant work in future also.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Kamal Hassan had always created anxiousness among viewers of bollywood films every time he had came up with new ventures. Because his acting went beyond dialogue throwing, his dancing, action stunts, make ups had all contributed in his films in the past.

The same thing had happened in the film Dasavatharam. Kamal Hassan had played ten different roles and in all those roles had shown his unique style of performance. Director KS Ravikiran had cast Kamal Hassan in the first story based on 12th century. R. Nambi was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, and never believed in Lord Shiva. King Koluthunga insisted R. Nambi to say namashivaye which he declined to say. So he was tied to the statue of Lord Vishnu and thrown into the sea and killed. His wife Kothai (played by Asin) also killed herself.

After the death of the first avatar, the next part involved Dr. Govind Ramaswamy, a biotech American Scientist who invented a bio-warfare weapon which was extremely deadly. As his superior officer wanted to sell it to wrongdoers he destroyed it. In the process the rest of the eight characters portrayed by Kamal Hassan came into being.

Previously Sanjeev Kumar had the record of playing nine different characters in the film Naya Din Nayi Raat which he did efficiently. Kamal Hassan’s effort in the film matches the performance of the legend actor. It had been shown that Govind escaped with the bio-weapon to India and had been followed by Fletcher and his tamil-interpreter wife Mallika Sherawat. The rest of the characters Martial Art Teacher – the fighter, Balram Naidu – Telegu Police Officer, Avatar Singh – a Punjabi Pop Singer, Krishnaveni Pati – an old woman, Vincent Poovagaran – the dalit activist and Kalifullah Khan, a tall Afghan, etc., just followed them.

The performance of Asin and Mallika Sherawat was brilliant. The music of Himesh Reshamiya had nothing new. The camera work requires special mention in respect of the sequence related to tsunami. The film has all the elements of entertainment and will be a blockbuster.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Deepa Mehta experimented with Preeti Zinta in her new film Videsh. The viewers previously had watched Deepa Mehta’s films with the idea of getting any social message. She had done an excellent job in the film Monsoon Wedding and other films in the past.

Preeti Zinta in this film had married a person name Rocky and left his own family to settle in Canada. She went to Ontario in Canada and married Rocky through the rituals of settled marriage.

Unfortunately her husband being a cab driver, had the burden of taking care of her ill-tempered mother, confused old father, his brother who had a wife and two children. With that amount of headache on his shoulders he depended on Preeti Zinta as well. She worked in a factory which manufactured napkins to contribute for her family.

She was extremely ill-treated by her husband and the in-laws and found no space in life. Now she had the option of returning back to India to meet her parents and disclose about everything. She had a Caribbean colleague who told about a root by consuming which her husband could have gathered attachment for her. Even she resorted to the magic that could be created by King Cobra that was believed in fables.

None of the formula worked in any way. She was beaten up by her husband and almost led the life of a slave. There was no sympathy from any corner. Preeti Zinta’s performance was excellent by every ethical standard. Even Vansh Bharadwaj who played the role of her husband Rocky played the cruel role in style.

But the film was made only with the message of extreme cruelty existing in a foreign country which apparently is considered to be a paradise. There were hardly any relief scenes. There is every possibility that the viewers could get choked with such a serious subject-matter. Even there was no music which could divert the minds of the people.

The message of Deepa Mehta was excellent and she had shed light on a subject which is not known to many people. But the film did not have the pace that was evident in other films of Deepa Mehta like Monsoon Wedding. Viewers should watch the movie for the relevant message.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Shankar Jaikishan dominated bollywood music for more than 25 years ranging from the late 40s to early 70s. Due to sad demise of Jaikishan in the 70s, the evergreen combination broke up and critics repent about the end of the contribution of the giant composers.

Shankar was very loyal towards the SJ Banner and continued to use it in films after 1971, when Jaikishan died and Shankar had composed the music himself. Jaikishan’s death was a big blow for Shankar who already was shocked about the demise of lyricist Shailendra in the late 60s, who had contributed for the tunes of Shankar. Shankar lost the big banners in the 70s, due to the death of Jaikishan.

For example Raj Kapoor shifted towards the music of Laxmikant Pyarellal from Bobby, in 1973, when Shankar was still alive and gave music in many films in the 70s. Raj Kapoor had never thought about any other composer in his entire career other than SJ, excepting films like Jagte Raho, where he had used Salil Choudhury or Ab Dilli Door Nahi, where Dattaram contributed, who was the assistant of SJ.

The big banner of GP Sippy went to RD Burman after the death of Jaikishan. SJ composed the music for the film Andaz in 1971. But RD Burman got the scope of composing music in films like Seeta Aur Geeta in 1972, Sholay in 1975, Shaan in 1980, Saagar in 1985, all were made under the GP Sippy Banner. Although Shankar continued to compose music in the mid-70s in films of Manoj Kumar like Beimaan or Sanyasi, but the big banner of GP Sippy was lost.

Shankar also lost the banner of Shakti Shamanta after 1971. Previously SJ composed music in Shakti Shamanta’s films An Evening in Paris and Pagla Kahin Ka. But after the death of Jaikishan, RD Burman got the scope of composing music in his films including Kati Patang and Amar Prem which were hit as well.

Whether the music suffered or changed after the death of Jaikishan is another question to be answered, but there is no doubt that Shankar lost most of the big banners in the 70s, after the death of Jaikishan in 1971.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Tabu is considered as one of the most powerful actresses of the last 10 years. She had kept her mark in any type of film ranging from commercially successful films like Virasat, to refined commercial films like Chachi 420, to off-beat films like Machis.

In Astitva, she had played her role with such amount of perfection that her performance could very well be equated with any of the legendary performances of Shabana Azmi or Smita Patil. She married Sachin Kherekar who was a wealthy person.

But he used to stay abroad for most part of the year due to job requirements. Tabu had to stay for those months alone. Initially it was unbearable for her. After sometime she got a scope of learning classical music from Mohnish Behl who was a renowned classical singer in the film. Both of them got attached with each other.

It led to Tabu becoming the mother of Mohnish’s son. Initially when Tabu talked about it to her relatives, they advised her to get the child aborted. But for whatever reasons she did not do that. Sachin Kherekar considered the son to be his own and nurtured him.

After more than 20 years, Sachin Kherekar went through the diary maintained by Tabu and came to know about the affair. Also the fact that Mohnish Behl had given his entire property to Tabu had compelled him more to suspect his wife. When everything was disclosed he decided to divorce his wife and his son also humiliated his mother.At the end of the film Tabu questioned the character of her own husband who had affairs with many women during his stay abroad. It could be excused just because he was a man. At the same time his incapability could not be made public. Tabu could not beget any child out of the marital wedlock with her husband.Tabu even questioned the narrow-mindedness of her husband who could not even appreciate the truth of her husband who had disclosed it before him. Had he not mentioned it in the diary the husband would never had known about it. There were so many types of emotions that had be expressed in the film that unless the actress versatile callibre it would have been impossible to express.

Astitva can be considered as one of the greatest performances of Tabu who got a number of critics choice awards for her excellence in bollywood films. The viewers expect her to carry forward the rich legacy of powerful acting which was started by Shabana Azmi and Smita patil and carried forward by Dimple Kapadia.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Bobby Deol’s efforts had gone unnoticed.There are certain stars in bollywood films, who inspite of exhibiting their genuine skills remain unnoticed and unrecognized. Bobby Deol falls in that category.

Right from the time he had performed in films like Barsaat, to Soldier, to Gupt and even in Ek – the power of one, his action skills did not get appreciation. Neither was his deep voice being honored by the media.

He had exhibited European style of acting in films like Soldier, Bicchu or Badal. He kept his personality intact when he played the role of terrorists and whenever the question arose as to raising of his voice against the wrongdoers his style was very unique. In Gupt, his action stunts in the prison opposite the other prisoners were very impressive. If similar stunts were taken by Akshay Kumar or Shahrukh Khan, the media would have highlighted them. Just because it was Bobby Deol, the media was silent about it. In fact his performance in the film Ajnabee, opposite Akshay Kumar requires special mention. The action sequence where he fought against Akshay Kumar, he showed his individuality and addressed his action skills in style. Akshay Kumar played a negative role in the film and both the actors did well and entertained the viewers.

In fact the media also remained silent about the dancing skills of Bobby Deol. If his dancing skils are compared with his father Dharmender or elder brother Sunny Deol, critics will agree that he had done a more innovative job till now. He was sublime in the songs “soldier soldier”, “bechainiya”, “mehfil me baar baar”, etc. In some of them he had danced even better than the actresses like Preeti Zinta or Kajol, or Manisha Koirala.

Even his comedy skills in films like Chor Machaye Shor remained unnoticed. Whenever his films had done well, the credit had gone to the co-artists and whenever they failed the blame was shared by him. Taking that into consideration it can be said that his performance in the film Ek: The Power of one, was extraordinary. The scene where he was encountered by the police, he jumped from rooftop, landed on a lever of bulldozer and jumped on the top of a running train, an of the other superstars of bollywood industry like Hrithik Roshan or Akshay Kumar would have been proud about.

Although Bobby Deol never had the box-office of Shahrukh Khan or Salman Khan, he had fantastic potentiality and the producers and directors should exploit them to the fullest in the films in future. He is a great asset for the industry and should continue his great work.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Demise of Shakti Samanta.Shakti Samanta, the veteran director and producer of successful bollywood films during the 60s and 70s died on 9th April, 2009. He is remembered for the evergreen romantic films he made in the 60s which had entertained the viewers to a great extent.

In the 50s, his film Howrah Bridge with Ashok Kumar and Madhubala did great business in the box-office. The music composed by OP Nayyar with songs like “aiye meherban”, “mera naam chin chin chu” entertained the viewers. The other black and white film included China Town with Shammi Kapoor and Shakila.

In China Town, Shakti Samanta did cast Shammi Kapoor in a double role, with one of the brothers being involved in smuggling activities in China Town. The other brother was used by the police to know the whereabouts of the other members of the gang. Ravi’s music was impressive with Rafi’s song “baar baar dekho” becoming super hit.

In the 60s Shakti Samanta came up with blockbusters like Kashmir Ki Kali and An Evening in Paris. From that time onwards Sharmila Tagore featured in nearly all his films. Shammi Kapoor’s rock and roll andaz was well balanced by westernized tunes composed by OP Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan in the two films. The hit songs in the films include “diwana hua badal”, “kisi na kisi se”, “tareef karun kya uski”, “isharon isharon”, “aji aisa mouka”, “aasman se aya farishta”, “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “raat ke humsafar”, etc., sung by Rafi and Asha.

In the 70s, all the films of Shakti Samanta were big hits include Rajesh Khanna’s films Aradhana, Amar Prem and Kati Patang. Again romantic stories, picturesque shooting and melodious music entertained the viewers and films became extremely successful.

Shakti Samanta also experiments with films made in both Bengali and Hindi with Bengal’s superstar Uttam Kumar. The films included Amanush and Anand Ashram which were made both in Bengali and hindi. Sharmila Tagore acted well in both these films opposite Uttam Kumar. Shaymal Mitra’s music was also very impressive along with landscapes of Sunderban where most of the films were shot.

The experiment of making Bengali and hindi film on the same subject continued with Shakti Samanta’ use of Big B in the early 80s. The film Anu Sandhan and Barsaat Ki Ek Raat did fantastic business with the action sequences and powerful performance of Big B and Rakhee. Rakhee played the role of blind girl in those films.

Although Shakti Samanta was not known for perfection that was achieved by stalwart directors like Bimal Roy, he is remembered by film historians as one of the grand entertainers who had used soft romantic stories and picturised them with his own dreams. His films should be restored and preserved.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jaya Bacchan on 9th April, 2009. She was considered to be one of the most powerful actresses of films during the 70s and 80s. Her effortless performance in different types of roles had inspired other actresses to follow her later on.

Jaya Bacchan started her career with an impressive role in Satyajit Ray’s film Mahanagar in 1965. She played the role of younger sister of Anil Chatterji and adapted herself in the role of realistic actress who show least amount of mannerisms in that film. In the bollywood film Guddi, she played the role of a common girl who was inspired by bollywood films. Utpal Dutta, her uncle took her to film studios to show that actors like Dharmender and others were made stars by the sheer effort of the cameraman, make-up man, director, producer and others and larger than life image is created by the technicians. Jaya Bacchan showed the innocence required from the role of a common teenager in the film.

In the 70s, Jaya Bacchan acted in refined commercial films opposite Sanjeev Kumar and got appreciation from the mass and the critics. She was sublime in Gulzar’s film Koshish, where she herself along with Sanjeev Kumar played the role of a deaf and dumb couple who educated their child and learned communication by attending classes in deaf and dumb schools. She acted in the film Naya din nayi raat, opposite Sanjeev Kumar, where Sanjeev Kumar played 9 roles of 9 different persons. She left her house and met all the nine separate persons and met her husband which was also played by Sanjeev Kumar. She had very peculiar experiences of meeting drunkards, persons suffering from leprosy, smugglers, etc. and expressed her emotions very well.

She was sublime in Gulzar’s film Parichay in 1972, where she played the role of the eldest sister of Sanjeev Kumar. She and her brothers and sisters became orphans after the death of their parents and were brought by Pran, their grandfather to their ancestral house. Jeetender was invited to teach the children and she got involved with Jeetender at the end of the film. She expressed her love for her father and hatred towards grandfather for not accepting her mother in the house like any intellectual actress. Her lips in the song “biti na bitai rehna” sung by Lata and Bhupinder Singh require special mention.

Jaya Bachhan was equally sublime in commercial films like Sholay, Zanjeer, etc., opposite Big B. If her performance opposite Sanjeev Kumar in films like Anamika, Nauker, showed her class of acting, her performance opposite Big B in films like Bangsi Aur Birju or Abhimaan or Milli showed her spontaneous presence before the commercial crowd.

In Abhimaan, all the songs of Lata like “teri bindiya re”, “tere mere Milan ki yeh raina”, etc., almost appeared like songs of Jaya Bacchan. Critics feel that she even did better than Big B in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic film.

She became a myth in the 70s, after performing in any time of film including Manoj Kumar’s Shor to Yash Chopra’s Silsila. Even the medium-budget films like Piya Ka Ghar did business due to sheer brilliance of performance of Jaya Bacchan. In the late 90s, she again made a comeback in character roles in films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Fiza, etc., and showed the audience that she had not lost her touch in acting.

The viewers expect her to continue the great work in bollywood films, as there is no doubt that she had equal potentiality like Shabana Azmi or Smita Patil and could have been chosen for any art film made by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others during the 80s, had she not left films for bringing up Abhishek Bacchan and her daughter.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jeetender, the golden hero of the 60s on 7th April, 2009. He has been considered as one of the most consistent actors who had steady box-office in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

In the early 60s, he started his career with the success in the film Geet Gaya Pattharone, opposite Rajashree. Bollywood industry was flooded with actors at that time including Showman Raj Kapoor, Tragedy King Dilip Kumar and the other matinee idols like Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan and others. He had to face very strong competition to stay in the competition at that time.

Within a short period of time his dancing skills were cultivated by the directors and his films started making profits. His film Farz in 1967, opposite Babita, became super hit. The songs composed by LP and sung by Rafi created storms, including “mast baharon ka mai ashiq”, “baar baar din yeh aye”, etc. Besides, Jeetender’s dance performance in most of the songs entertained the viewers to a big extent.

From that time onwards, Jeetender had a great combination with LP, Rafi and Anand Bakshi. All the songs of the film Humjoli, Jeegri Dost and Banphool became superhit. Prominent songs included “mere desh me”, “dhal gaya din”, etc. Initially critics called Jeetender jumping jack, but his dancing skills followed by his acting skills made him a ruler in the 70s and 80s.

In 70s, he was probably the only romantic actor other than Rishi Kapoor, he survived the period relating to action films, when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughu Sinha and others gave hit action films one after the other. The hit films of Jeetender in the 70s include Karwan, Nagin, which continued in the 80s with the success of films like Asha opposite Reena Roy.

Jeetender also played a crucial in off-beat films of Gulzar like Parichay, Khushbu and Kinara where the intellectual audience had appreciated him. He gave very elegant lips in brilliant songs of Bhupinder Singh like “naam gum jayega”, “meethe bol bole”, etc. He transformed himself from an excited, energetic, youth to a reserve personality in Parichay, Khusbu and Kinara.

Jeetender’s in the 80s had compelled producers to launch him opposite young actresses like Sri Devi and Jaya Prada who were much younger than him in films like Himmatwala or Dharm Adhikari. After the launching of his son Tushar Kapoor in modern films, he had reduced acting in contemporary films.

But the viewers expect him to still continue in modern films in character roles just like before.

Dr. Souvik Chatterji

Master of Law from Warwick University, Coventry,UK

Received Doctorate Degree in Philosophy of law from National Law University, Jodhpur after submitting PhD Thesis in Law in National Law University, Jodhpur on the topic “Treatment of Cartels in India and USA”.